The little lady in the dining room

Chapter 132 Severe Examination
The emperor, who was meeting Wei Chen in the Zichen Palace because of another attack on the imperial guard, heard a few whispers from Fugui, left Wei Chen and left.

Wei Chen knew that Fugui was someone close to Sydney, so he just thought that something happened to Sydney, so he quickly stopped to inquire.Hearing again that it was about Ah Yao, he was equally anxious, and followed the emperor to Liugeyuan.

The somewhat chaotic Liugeyuan suddenly fell into silence because of the sudden arrival of the two. The palace people hurriedly saluted, and Xue Li looked flustered: "Your Majesty..."

"What's going on?" The emperor stood in front of the door, taking a breath and calming down.

"I don't know..." Xue Li shook her head, "Ah Yao has always been very good. I didn't have a good time with A Yuan when I was taking a nap just now. It's nothing serious. I coaxed her a few words but... I don't know why What happened! She locked herself here when she left my room! This room is usually empty..."

The sour plum and ebony were all in A Yao's room just now, and Qingxi Tinghan was in the yard, no one thought that she would go to this room.

The emperor took a deep breath, frowned, raised his hand and knocked on the door: "A Yao, open the door, and tell Father if you have something to say."

The sobbing sound inside suddenly sounded clearer.However, no one opened the door.

"Your Majesty, kick the door." Wei Chen said as he stepped back two steps, wanting to kick the emperor when he left the door.

Xue Li hurriedly said: "No... A Yao is not far from the door, the door will hurt her."

The emperor heard the words and looked through the crack of the door.There was a low cabinet less than a foot away from the door, and Ah Yao was sitting on the ground in front of the low cabinet, holding Yuxiang in his arms, and crying with his knees in his arms.

"Ayao." The emperor called her again, looked around, and reached out to Wei Chen, "Knife."

Wei Chen immediately pulled out the Xiuchun knife and gave it to him. The emperor looked in again and explained in a gentle voice: "Ah Yao, don't be afraid, father will not hurt you."

After finishing speaking, he slipped the knife in through the crack of the door, Xue Li still heard A Yao's soft cry from inside, and hurriedly coaxed her: "Be good, A Yao... let father open the door."

As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Zhao raised the knife in his hand.There was a sound of a wooden bolt falling, and he pushed the door open with confidence and entered.

A Yao was still sitting there with her body curled up, and she didn't speak when she saw someone coming in.Yu Xiang was uncomfortable being hugged by her, and when she saw Xie Zhao, she let out a heavy "wheeze".

Xueli also walked in, she squatted down, and just called "Ayao", she saw that Ayao's reaction was very contradictory-she stretched out her hands to hug her while shrinking back, and seemed to want to get closer Want to hide again.

"Come on, mother will carry you back to sleep." Xue Li smiled and hugged her, A Yao lay on her shoulder and was still sobbing.

She stroked A Yao's back to give her comfort, and after a while, she heard A Yao ask her in a low voice: "Where's my brother..."

"My brother is already asleep, it's okay." She smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes when she looked at the emperor, she silently pointed to Ah Yao's back, wondering what was wrong with the child.

The emperor's eyes were gloomy, and he gave her a wink to show her to take A Yao into the house, and then he followed.Xue Li put A Yao on the couch, and he squatted down and asked her: "A Yao, tell Father, why did you lock yourself in the room just now? Why are you crying?"

A Yao shook his head: "It's okay..."

The two looked at each other, and Xie Zhao tried again: "Who made you unhappy? You tell the father, the father will protect you."

Ayao still shook her head and said "it's okay", Xue Li hugged her and said, "Come and tell mother. Is it because my brother didn't let you sleep just now, is it unhappy, or is there something else? Tell me, so mother can help you .”

A Yao still had the same reaction, wiped away her tears, and looked up at her: "Mother, don't talk about brother..."

There is obviously something wrong here, but no matter how the two ask, Ayao just doesn't say a word.If she was an older child, they could still use some "threatening" methods, but she was so young and cried so sadly, neither of them dared to say a serious word, and there was no other way if "incentives" would not work. .

The room was silent for a while, Xueli didn't dare to let go of her arms around Ah Yao, when suddenly the emperor nodded, as if signaling her to wait.

She was slightly stunned, and the emperor had already walked out.Xue Li thought for a while, and took out a handkerchief to wipe away A Yao's tears. Since she couldn't ask, she coaxed her first: "Come on, don't cry, mother will sleep with you, okay? You can call Yu Xiang too. "

A Yao nodded, and without waiting for her to say anything more, she climbed into the bed and lay down obediently.Xueli greeted Yuxiang to go to the couch, and Yuxiang held her tightly inside.

But Ah Yao didn't pay much attention to Yu Xiang, just faced her, holding her arm tightly with her small hands, looking very uneasy.

Outside the house, Wei Chen saw the emperor coming out with a serious face and hurried forward: "Your Majesty, Ah Yao..."

"Help me investigate this matter." The emperor gritted his teeth fiercely, clenched his hands into fists in his sleeves, and his bones rattled, "Take it to the imperial guard for trial, and you can use the 72 severe punishments given by the imperial guard. , What did you say to Ah Yao, let them spit it out to me without saying a word!"

"Nuo..." Wei Chen clasped his fists in response, and asked cautiously, "Who will be interrogated?"

"Let's take everyone away from Yuehe Palace." The emperor's eyes slightly closed, "People from Liugeyuan will definitely be involved. No matter who you want to take away, you come here in person and tell Sydney."

"No." Wei Chen replied again, frowning slightly and leaving.After leaving the courtyard, he handed the waist badge to the imperial eunuch who came along, and ordered, "Go to Beizhen Fusi, and send me a general flag."

The quiet harem in the afternoon fell into panic because of the sudden arrival of the imperial guard.

The reputation of the imperial guards is already too great, not only the important officials in the court can't avoid these three words, but everyone in the harem is also very scared when they first see them.

At that time, Concubine Hui was in Yuehe Palace comforting the talented Shi Shi who was recently under strict control by the nuns, when she suddenly saw the imperial guard barging in, she shouted, "What are you doing here! This is the harem!"

"Mrs. Concubine Hui." Wei Chen entered the hall from the hallway that was vacated by everyone, and bowed to Concubine Hui, "I am ordered to strictly examine the Yuehe Palace. Madam wants to reminisce about the old days with Shi Cairen... It's better to change the day."

The two looked at each other.

After that, Concubine Hui couldn't help but say more, and Concubine Hui really didn't talk too much.The imperial guards took everyone in Yuehe Palace into custody and left, even the two teaching nuns who had just arrived a while ago were temporarily watched—although they knew whether it was them or not, they would not let them go until they were found out gone.Wei Chen had ordered earlier to invite the two nuns to the imperial guards for a tea break, and when everything was clear, send them back.

Da Qizhang and Chao's harem had never been so full of terror as it is today.

The low-ranking concubines all huddled in their rooms and did not dare to come out. Although it was inevitable to send people to inquire about the situation, no matter what they inquired about, they did not dare to say a word.

The high-ranking concubines seemed a little calmer, but all of them closed their doors tightly, and no one was seen.

The imperial guards were strictly interrogating, but they didn't hide the matter too much.Therefore, everyone soon found out that a big court lady next to Shi's entered the imperial guard and committed suicide by biting her tongue within two hours.The other also wanted to seek death, but was stopped in time...

Everyone shuddered when they heard this, and felt that she might as well be dead.

At the time of Xu, everyone heard that Shi Shi had been tortured because the people around her didn't know enough.

An hour and a half later, the imperial guard entered the palace again and went straight to Ruan's Liugeyuan.

"Sydney." Wei Chen saw Xueli coming up to him in the courtyard, and lowered his eyes slightly, "Ayao has a nanny named Chen, where is she?"

"In the southeast courtyard." As soon as Xue Li said three words, the two people behind Wei Chen rushed out.It only took a moment to drag Chen Shi out, Chen Shi's pale complexion was a little scary due to the moonlight, she looked at Xue Li and called "Lady", but Xue Li just turned sideways and refused to pay attention to her.

It wasn't until Chen was taken away that Sydney looked at Wei Chen again: "What's going on?"

"I'll come and tell you after the trial of Mrs. Chen." Wei Chen sighed and looked into the room, "How is Ah Yao?"

"Sleeping." She frowned, "I followed me all afternoon, she went wherever I went, and rushed to help me with work. Seeing her like that, I just..."

Xueli's nose was sore, and she couldn't say the next words——for the whole afternoon, the way Ayao looked at her made her feel familiar.It wasn't until Ah Yao fell asleep a moment ago that she suddenly remembered that she had seen that kind of fear in the eyes of dark plums and sour plums.

But ebony and sour plums have been bullied a lot and suffered a lot. They will always worry about death. Ayao, she...

Xueli shook her head forcefully, and finally couldn't help wiping away her tears: "Brother, you go. I will wait here, what's going on, please tell me in time."

Wei Chen nodded, told "Take care" and turned to leave.Xue Li staggered to the house, pushed away Dou Sha who was about to come to help her, sat on the edge of the couch and looked at A Yao, feeling that all the strength in her body had been sucked out.

She is still so young, what is hiding in her heart?
It seems that since following Xie Zhao, Sydney has never been so helpless.She was lying on the couch without any sleepiness, staring at the carvings on the couch in a daze with her bright eyes wide open, only when A Yao turned over, she would come back to her senses, tuck her in the quilt, and then continue to be in a daze.

The emperor walked into Liugeyuan with the sound of the third watch.Seeing her lying stupidly on the couch, her face haggard as if she had been ill for a long time, he hesitated for a long time before finally calling her name.

Xue Li turned her head suddenly, her expression in a trance: "Your Majesty..."

"It's time to go to court today." He said as he stepped closer, his brows were deeply furrowed, "I'll take care of this matter, don't worry."

She nodded and moved a little in, making room for him to sit.After sitting down, Xie Zhao struggled for a long time before taking out the confession in his sleeve: "This is... what Mr. Chen confessed. I have to show it to you, but after you read it...don't get too excited."

Xueli sat up at once, reaching out to grab him.After meeting his eyes, he hurriedly promised "I won't get angry because of A Yao", and then he gave her the stack of papers.

But after reading it, Sydney was still confused.

The confession stated that in order to plan for his own future, Shi wanted to take A Yao back, so he bought Chen.Taking advantage of A Yuan's [-]-day banquet, Shi Shi dismissed the people around A Yao and met A Yao and Chen Shi alone...

Then, after A Yuan's hundred days passed, Mrs. Chen would say something to A Yao every day, something that even Sydney was afraid to read.

For example, she said to Ah Yao: "You are not born to your mother. Although your mother is very good to you, it is different now that you have a younger brother. Everything she gave you is from your younger brother. You are grabbing things from her own son, and she will gradually stop liking you."

She also said: "Your Majesty is not your father. You have nothing to do with him. If your mother doesn't like you, he will soon hate you too, and no one will treat you well."

The most direct thing is that she once said to A Yao: "You, why don't you tell His Majesty earlier that you miss your concubine mother. She is the one who will really protect you, at least she has no son herself."

Reading these words, Sydney found it shocking, she couldn't imagine how Chen said it to A Yao in person.

——A Yao is also her child after all...

There are even more small things that add fuel to the flames.For example, shortly after A Yuan's hundred days, she told A Yao: "Look, A Yuan will hold a banquet after the hundred days, but you will have nothing when you pass the hundred days. If you don't believe me, you can ask others go."

Ah Yao is so obedient and innocent, she would believe it directly, and would not ask others—and even if she did ask, the fact is that she never congratulated her.

Her hundredth day was the day when her biological mother passed away, so there was no reason to congratulate her due to emotion and reason.Probably even the emperor didn't expect that this would become a handle to be held by others to poke Ah Yao's heart.

Xueli felt that Ayao probably didn't understand many of the things said in the confession.But thinking about it carefully, if someone told her every day...she would probably understand.

Children don't understand much, but they can feel it, so they understand everything.

Both she and the emperor thought that when he severely punished Shi Shi that night, Ah Yao would be safe.But they didn't expect that her plan was beyond their expectations, she didn't do anything that looked like "robbing people"...

It's just that someone planted a seed in A Yao's heart, and waited for the seed to take root and germinate, and then forced A Yao to say that he wanted to find her.

No wonder A Yao suddenly became upset after she finished saying "you sleep with Yu Xiang in your arms, mother coaxes A Yuan", it was the sensitivity that came after too much anxiety had accumulated in her heart.Just such a sentence made Ah Yao feel that she didn't like her anymore.

So A Yao looked so lost at the time, and didn't dare to ask her.

And if Ah Yao's reaction hadn't been so intense, hadn't made them realize that something was wrong, and allowed the seed to continue to germinate...

Xueli was cold and shivering from the cold. Xie Zhao hugged her tightly and comforted her for a long time before she finally calmed down and looked at him with trembling teeth: "I've recruited... Your Majesty, Your Majesty What do you want?"

"The others have already died, and the imperial guards are escorting Shi and Chen back." The emperor's voice was steady, and his arms around her did not loosen.After a while, he said, "I won't let them go. You have a good rest, Ayao still wants you to take care of her."

It's been a long time since he used the word "Zhen" in front of her.At this time, this word poured into Xue Li's ears, but it didn't make her feel alienated, she just felt extremely at ease.

Now she urgently needs the support of this identity, to make her believe that these people who are so vicious that they will attack children will not end well.

"I'll go first." He said, kissed her, got up and left.Xue Li sat quietly for a while, then lay down with her arms around Ah Yao, she felt a little relieved.

A Yao wakes up, feeling her eyelids heavy, rubbing her eyes and thinking about it, and then remembers that she cried very hard yesterday.

When she turned over and saw that Xueli was still lying beside her, she laughed, rubbed against Xueli's arms, and stopped suddenly.

She took a look at Sydney, hesitated: "Mother..."

"Come on, mother hugs you." Xueli hugged her tightly, kissed her on the forehead, tried her best to soften her tone, "Ah Yao, mother asked you something, tell mother the truth, OK?"

A Yao nodded: "Okay..."

Xueli took a breath, and told her calmly: "Mother knows what Nanny Chen told you. Mother wants to ask first, what are you thinking now?"

She asked very nervously, afraid that Ayao would tell her something like "I'm going to find my concubine mother".

So she stared at A Yao intently, A Yao raised her head from her arms, looked at her, her eyes turned red: "I will protect my younger brother with mother, mother don't dislike me, is that okay?"

It turned out to be like this...

Sydney gasped, realizing that she had been careless for more than two months!
A Yao grows up so fast, she always thinks about her younger brother in everything, and remembers to ask if she has any brother... She only thinks that A Yao is so sensible, but she never thought it was because of this.

She is careful not to "rob" her brother's things.She hoped that she would protect her younger brother with her, so that she would not gradually dislike her in the future.

Xue Li was stunned for a while in shock, then hugged A Yao tightly again, and told her word by word: "Listen to what mother said—the words of the nurse are all lies to you, they are all nonsense. Who said mother Will you not like you if you have a younger brother? Mother has always liked you very much!"

"Really?" A Yao's face was surprised for a moment, and then he became worried again, "But, the nanny said that I was not born by a mother."

She has a vague impression of this, although it is very vague, but she still knows a little bit, that she didn't grow up in this yard at first, and the nanny said that she also has a "mother concubine", so she is even more I am convinced that I am not Sydney's daughter.

"Yes, you were not born to me." Sydney didn't lie to her on this ring, and told her calmly, "But this is another matter, I always treat you as my daughter, and you always call me 'mother' ’, as to whether it was born by me, it doesn’t matter here.”

"It's not important?" Hearing what she said, Ah Yao was suddenly dumbfounded.

Listening to the nanny's tone before, she thinks this is very important!But Mother told her "it's not important" so seriously...

"Is it really not important?" She blinked and asked.

Xueli nodded: "You saw it when my mother was pregnant with my younger brother. Whether it was born by my mother or not, the difference is only in those few months. After that, you are also a child, and your brother is also a child. Is there any difference?"

This is a bit of a "liar to a child", but that's all she can say in this area.Talk to A Yao in detail about the entanglements among adults, but she probably won't understand it, and it would be bad if she was extra careful.

So Ah Yao felt that what Mother said made sense...

Sydney saw A Yao's smiling face burst into flames, her little hands hugged her arms excitedly, her feet were kicking under the quilt, the happy look made Xue Li feel sad.

Then Ayao happily climbed up on her and lay down on her stomach, with her small face on her chest and rubbed against her. After being excited for a long time, she calmed down, hugged her waist with both hands, and said crisply: "Mom! I want to eat mixed fruit porridge !"

"Okay, mother will make it for you to eat." Xue Li pinched her face.With a smile, softly, the mood that made her dull all night suddenly improved.

"You wait, mother will let sour plums and ebony come to accompany you first, and come back when the porridge is ready." As soon as Xueli finished speaking, Ayao rolled over her, got up and sat on the couch again, her eyes were clear. Tell her calmly: "Mom, do it slowly! I'm not in a hurry!"

This is what a child looks like.Sydney breathed a sigh of relief, the joy in my heart seemed to have just passed the nine-nine-eight-one ordeal.

She opened the curtain and went out of the room, and immediately asked Suanmei Wumei and Tinghan to accompany Ah Yao in the room.Just as she was about to turn around and go to the kitchen to make porridge for Ah Yao, when she looked up, she saw Chen Jijiang arriving in person.

Chen Jijiang entered the courtyard and bowed to her: "My lady, Mrs. Shi and Mrs. Chen have already done it."

Sydney's black eyebrows were raised lightly, showing no sympathy, and even a little pleasure.

She asked him, "How did you deal with it?"

"This..." Chen Jijiang looked a little hesitant, hesitated for a while, but was still afraid of scaring Xueli, so he said, "Don't ask, my lady, it's not a good way to die."

Xue Lijing looked at him without moving, and she had a clear idea in her mind: "It's all right, my lord. I know the details, so that I can shock other people around Ah Yao in the future."

Also.

As soon as Chen Jijiang bowed, he had to tell her: "Shi's and Chen's cars were broken, and Chen's husband was given to death. All three clans were punished with tattoos and confiscated as slaves in the palace; those under fourteen were exempted from tattooing and also entered the palace as slaves; Within the nine clans, all rode forty and lived for two years."

(End of this chapter)